Statement from the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, April 04, 2011:
JCPA Welcomes Reconsideration of Goldstone Conclusions
JCPA Welcomes Judge Goldstone’s Reconsideration of Report
The following is a statement from JCPA Chair Dr. Conrad Giles and JCPA President Rabbi Steve Gutow in response to last Friday’s Washington Post op-ed by Judge Richard Goldstone:
“We welcome Judge Goldstone’s disavowal of the 2009 UN Human Rights Council-sponsored Commission Report bearing his name. That Report examined Israel’s Operation Cast Lead in Gaza and the events leading up to it, including the firing by Hamas and other terrorist groups of thousands of rockets into Israeli population centers over a period of many years. His op-ed piece in the Washington Post underscores that Israel acted as we would expect any democracy to act, even when confronted with a ruthless adversary that targets Israeli civilians and uses its own civilians as human shields -- with an unwavering commitment to the rule of law and respect for life. Faced with insufficient evidence, Goldstone’s Report jumped to the conclusion that Israel had targeted civilians in the 2008-2009 confrontation with Hamas. Now, with additional information brought to the fore, Goldstone acknowledges that Israel, unlike Hamas, seeks to minimize civilian casualties. In fact, it was the Israeli Defense Force’s own in-depth investigations in the wake of Cast Lead that provided the clarity and perspective lacking in the Report, and prompted Judge Goldstone’s reconsideration of his previous conclusions. We hope that many of the people and groups that reflexively criticized Israel on the basis of the Report, will now join with Judge Goldstone in setting the record straight.”
Contact: contactus@thejcpa.org
